2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING

THE LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHT HAD A BULB THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST UNDER $10. IT NEEDED MORE THAN A BULB AS THE WIRING HAD MELTED AND IT REQUIRED A NEW LEFT REAR LIGHT ASSEMBLY KIT WITH A NEW HARNESS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AT A COST OF $300. THE AUTO SHOP TECHNICIAN SHOWED HOW THE WIRING HAD COMPLETELY MELTED AND NEEDED TO REPLACE THE COMPLETE REAR LIGHT MODULE. THIS HAD TO BE A DEFECTIVE PART AND MERCEDES HAD NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO COVER THE COST. THE MELTED WIRES POSE A FIRE HAZARD. *TR

RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT REAR LEFT BRAKE LIGHT, FOG LIGHT, TURN SIGNAL WERE OUT. TURNS OUT THE WIRE THAT GOES INTO THE HARNESS HAS MELTED AND SHORTED OUT. THE SAME THING HAPPENED TWO MONTHS LATER WITH THE REAR RIGHT LIGHT ASSEMBLY. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN.

TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR ON 3/3/2013 DUE TO THE VEHICLE HAD LOCKED FOR NO REASON AND WOULD NOT DRIVE. HAD TO TOW IT TO DEALERSHIP. TURNED OUT IT WAS A STEERING HOUSING ISSUE WHICH THE DEALERSHIP TOOK CARE OF, THEN A MONTH LATER, THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS ON THE RIGHT REAR STARTED HAVING ISSUES; STARTED GETTING ALERTS THAT THE RIGHT TAILLIGHT, RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, RIGHT REVERSE LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, AND SIDE LAMP WERE OUT OR NEEDED TO BE CHECKED. ALSO NOTICED THAT BECAUSE OF THIS, WHEN YOU SET THE ALARM, THE RIGHT REAR WON'T LIGHT UP. HAVE NOT BROUGHT IT BACK AS OF YET, WAITING FOR RECALL. *TR

ELECTRICAL SAFETY HAZARD THAT COULD LEAD TO FIRE. LEFT REAR TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY UNIT MELTED DUE TO IMPROPER GROUND DUE TO FAULTY WIRING HARNESS. TALKED WITH MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND WAS ADVISED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. I ASKED IF THERE WAS A RECALL AS THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD AND WAS ADVISED THAT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUES. WAS TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM IS SO COMMON THAT MERCEDES HAS A REPAIR KIT BUT WANTS ME TO PAY $200 TO HAVE THE SAFETY ISSUE FIXED. MERCEDES REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED AND FORCED TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL TO FIX THIS DEFECT. IF YOU GOOGLE 2009 C300 BRAKE LIGHT RECALL YOU WILL FIND COUNTLESS PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE INCLUDING IDENTICAL PHOTOS OF THE MELTED BULB ASSEMBLY UNIT. I WOULD HOPE FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE THAT THE NTSB COULD REVIEW THIS ISSUE FURTHER BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUS INJURED. *TR

WHILE HIGHWAY DRIVING THE RIGHT TAIL LAMP, BRAKE LAMP, FOG LAMP DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION, THE GROUND WIRE INSULATION AND CONNECTOR ON THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAD MELTED FROM OVERHEATING. WE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF ALL LIGHTING ON THE RIGHT REAR TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY. *TR

THE LEFT REAR TAIL LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. I HAD TO REPLACE THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS ATTACHED TO THE BULB BRACKET. THIS WAS REPLACED ON 2/13/2013. EXACTLY ONE MONTH LATER, THE RIGHT REAR TAIL LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING ON 3/13/2013. I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE SAME ASSEMBLY OF PARTS. I HAVE NO DAMAGE TO THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE. MERCEDES BENZ HAD A RECALL ON THE (MERCEDES BENZ M-CLASS YEAR 2009) FOR THE REAR LIGHTS. *TR

WARNING INDICATORS FLASHED FOR ALL THE RIGHT SIDE REAR LIGHTS. WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE BULBS DISCOVERED THE COVERING ON WIRES HAD MELTED ALONG WITH THE PLASTIC HARNESS. TOOK IT TO DEALER NEXT DAY AND THE HARNESS HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR A LITTLE OVER $150. IT IS HAPPENING ON THE OTHER SIDE ALSO. SERVICE REP HAS SEEN ON OTHER C300S. MB DENIES THIS IS A DEFECT. *TR

AT SOME POINT IN TIME THE LEFT REAR TAILLIGHT STARTED TO DIM DRAMATICALLY. I OPENED THE ENCLOSURE TO CHANGE THE BULBS THINKING THEY WERE BURNT OUT AND FOUND THE WIRE HARNESS AS WELL AS THE BULB DOCK HAD MELTED BECAUSE OF OVERHEATING. A FUSE DID NOT BLOW AND THE CARS COMPUTER NEVER GAVE ANY INDICATION OF THIS ISSUE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE SYSTEM COULD ACTUALLY CATCH ON FIRE AND IT IS IN THE TRUNK AND NOT FAR FROM THE GAS TANK. AFTER RESEARCHING ON MB WORLD THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM AND FLAW. I THINK IT SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO AND DETERMINE IF THERE IS A GREATER ISSUE HERE. *TR....UPDATED 03/27/13 *BF UPDATED 04/03/2013 *JS

MY CAR COMPUTER WAS SHOWING A MESSAGE THAT THE RIGHT REAR SIGNAL LIGHT, FOG LIGHT NEEDED TO BE CHECKED. MY HUSBAND CHANGED THE BULBS AND THE MESSAGE WAS STILL THERE. THESE LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER OPERATING PROPERLY. TOOK THE CAR FOR SCHEDULED SERVICE AND BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MECHANIC AT A MERCEDES BENZ DEALER/AUTO SERVICE. HE TOLD MY DAUGHTER THAT HE REMOVED THE ACCESS PANEL AND FOUND THAT THE CONNECTOR TO A BULB CARRIER, WIRE HARNESS AND BULB CARRIER WERE MELTED DUE TO A SHORT AT THE GROUND WIRE OF THE 7 PIN CONNECTOR. I CALLED THE SERVICE MGR HE COULD NOT TELL ME OR EXPLAIN WHY THIS HAPPENED OR ITS CAUSE. DISAPPOINTED BY HIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE, I CONTACTED MBUSA. AT FIRST THE PERSON THAT ANSWERED TRIED TO BRUSH ME OFF " THIS CAN HAPPEN". WHEN I INSISTED FOR A BETTER ANSWER OR EXPLANATION SHE REFERRED ME TO A "[XXX]"1-800-367-6372 EXT.[XXX]. WHO STATED THAT SHE WOULD SPEAK TO OTHER TECHNICAL PEOPLE AND GET BACK TO ME. WHEN SHE GOT BACK TO ME, IT WAS BASICALLY SHE WAS GOING TO SPEAK TO THE SERVICE MGR. AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT SERVICED MY CAR.HE CALLED ME ON 2/01/12 NOT CLARIFYING THE CAUSE,JUST RE-ITERATED WHAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY STATED. I CALL [XXX] WHO SIMPLY STATED THAT THIS HAS NEVER BEEN REPORTED BEFORE, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN, AND STATED THAT THE DEALERSHIP WOULD GIVE ME A $200.00 DISCOUNT AT THE NEXT SERVICE DATE. I WANTED AN EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE, COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN, COULD THIS LEAD TO FURTHER MELTING, THAT COULD LEAD TO A FIRE, A BIGGER SHORTAGE, AND POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. I WAS TOLD BY THE MGR. AT DEALERSHIP, HE CANNOT FORESEE THE FUTURE AND HE COULD NOT PREDICT IF THIS WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I WAS TOLD THAT A DEFECTIVE PART IS NOT A MAJOR ISSUE.NO ONE OFFERED TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THE DEFECTIVE PART AND TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT REALLY HAPPEN. IF A PART IS DEFECTIVE, IT SHOULD BE EVALUATED OR EVEN ASK FOR THE PART . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR